Traditional deer feeds and attractants, such as corn and salt, are not optimal for deer""s health. Regulations have been enacted, such as those adopted by the Texas AandM Animal Health Divisions, concerning the use of feed grains contaminated by aflatoxins.
Needs exist for deer feeds and attractants that are beneficial to deer and herds.
The present invention is for deer attractant and feed comprising mostly of stabilized rice bran.
Briefly, the present invention provides deer attractant and feed comprising stabilized rice bran and calcium carbonate. Limestone is added to the rice during the milling process. A byproduct residue from the milling process is rice bran and a small amount of pulverized limestone. Rice bran is a byproduct of rice milling that contains the seed coat, a fraction of the grain removed in milling, and the germ. Rice bran is a source of Vitamin B1, Thiamine, which is found in animal organ tissues and functions in the body as a carboxylase, which is essential for conversion of carbohydrate to fat. The rice bran, preferably, is sieved for purity and is heated, cooked and extruded, resulting in stabilized rice bran flakes. The extrusion process destroys lipase activity and reduces the free fatty acid content to under 4%. The product contains about 12.5% or more protein, and about a 2:1 ratio of calcium (between about 3.25-4.25%) to phosphorous (minimum of 1.75%). The naturally occurring Vitamin B1, Thiamine, aids in converting carbohydrates from browsing into fat as stored energy. The resulting attractant and feed promote deer health and growth, and the growth of antlers as well. The attractant promotes stronger does and bucks, which promotes healthier, better offspring. The deer feed may be spread out in the wild for deer to eat to cause herd distribution throughout resource areas and away from crops and gardens.
Rice bran is the outer brown layer of the rice kernel that is removed during the milling process, which generates the familiar white rice. Attached is a diagram of the rice kernel and its parts. The bran portion is one of the most nutritious parts of the rice kernel. The process of removing the bran layer from the kernel includes the addition of ground limestone, the powders remain as a source of calcium. The raw rice bran is taken as soon as it is removed from the kernel. The product is sieved in order to get to the purest parts of the rice bran. That aids in raising the fat levels. At that point, the bran must be stabilized. The rice bran is quickly brought to the heating, cooking and pressure extruding stabilizer. This must be done as quickly as possible to meet the standard definition of stabilized rice bran, which mandates that free fatty acids (FFA) be under 4%. The resultant stabilized bran flakes are cooled in a cooling system before packaging. The resultant product is packaged and sold as a deer attractant and feed.
There is no stabilized rice bran being sold in the deer attractant/feed/supplement market. Virtually all unstabilized rice bran goes into feed production for poultry and livestock. There is also a rapidly growing market for stabilized rice bran for the equine feed/supplement market.
The stabilized rice bran for the deer market has the following analysis:
Because of the balanced nutritional analysis and the addition of calcium carbonate to the feed, the product aids in promoting overall deer growth as well as bone growth in bucks. Preferably, the calcium to phosphorous ratio is about 2:1.
The new product promotes wild herd management by attracting strong and healthy bucks and does into deer management areas.
Rice bran was originally developed as a commercial animal feed source. Through research and development, the present invention was found to be a unique food source for deer. Testing has shown huge successes in antler development, soft tissue development, hair coat and general overall animal health.
The present invention has a unique aroma that is attractive to deer and only contains about 2% or less salt. The present invention has only minute traces of aflatoxins and very low concentrations of salt (about 2% or less). This makes the present invention a very unique product, not only for deer but also for other wildlife that are susceptible to aflatoxins.
The present invention is unique to the stabilized rice bran market in that ground limestone is used as a milling agent in the removal of raw bran from the grain. The milling agent, in turn, provides the present invention with a balanced calcium to phosphorous ratio. A balanced calcium to phosphorous ratio is essential for organ and bone development in deer.
By controlling the free fatty acid to a very low level, the feed of the present invention is prevented from going through any chemical changes while being stored thereby providing an all natural product to the market.
The U.S. Rice Industry and the American Medical Association have done research showing that the use of rice bran leads to a lowering of bad cholesterol levels. The high fat content of the present invention makes the product a high-energy food source that is essential for survival of wintering deer herds.